Council Hosts 500+ for 2025 State of MARTA, New Train Cars Unveiled

He also announced a $1 billion investment to enhance all 38 rail stations. These enhancements include brighter lights, new station seating, deep cleaning, repaving, elevators, “smart” restrooms, and more. These upgrades can already be seen at Airport, Five Points, Brookhaven, East Lake, Lenox, and Indian Creek stations. These enhancements come with 2 new MARTA business units focused on cleaner and more maintained rail stations across the entire network. “In just a few years from now,” he said, “our customers will be able to enjoy a state-of-the-art transit nexus in our transformed Five Points Station.” Greenwood says he is also working to enhance the customer experience with upgraded station information screens and a brand-new MARTA mobile app and website.

The MARTA CEO also talked about MARTA Rapid and the 60-foot purple electric vehicles that will first launch in Summerhill’s “Rapid A Line” next year. These extensions of MARTA’s service will “zip past traffic in dedicated or premium lanes in every Rapid corridor developed.” Additional MARTA Rapid lines are planned for Campbellton Road and Clifton corridor in Atlanta as well as Southlake and State Route 54 in Clayton County. Bus and arterial rapid transit lines are part of the vision to further connect people to jobs and employment centers and to keep Atlanta on the map for economic investment regionally.

He shared MARTA’s past successes, including extended bus routes and a new operations and maintenance facility in Clayton County that has generated over 350 full time jobs, an apprenticeship program that helps bus technicians build rewarding careers, an 84% decline in rail safety events last year that earned MARTA a national recognition as an industry leader in transit safety, and progress of the MARTA Hope initiative which connects unhoused Atlantans with shelter, housing, jobs, services, and more in a dignified way. Greenwood addressed the regional housing affordability crisis. His transit-oriented development program works to transform the areas around MARTA stations to “create opportunities for all people of all income levels to live and thrive near transit.”

Greenwood says MARTA’s biggest challenge ahead is the complete overhaul and redesign of the existing bus system. MARTA is actively seeking community input for the NextGen Bus Network. The goal is to implement a more frequent and reliable bus system that comes every 15 minutes or less for every rider. Greenwood has his eyes set on the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Superbowl as major milestones to put “the future of transit” to the test. “Transit is a value proposition that continues to increase as time goes on,” said Greenwood. “And MARTA will continue to be the backbone of metro Atlanta’s transit network.”

The Council for Quality Growth’s State of MARTA convenes the region’s business community with its local government bodies and other local leaders every other year. The Council has a deep history as an advocate for transit, from local communities to the Gold Dome, working year-round for transit and mobility expansion across the region. “The Council’s platform for moving forward is centered on growth,” said Clyde Higgs, the Council’s 2025 Board Chair and President & CEO of the Atlanta Beltline. “That growth includes the growth of our transit network, fueled by the partnerships and communities that are right here in this crowd today.” Michael Paris, President & CEO of the Council added, “now is a crucial time for increased investment in our transit network with 2 million more people moving to this region in the next 25 years. The Council will continue to support the efforts of MARTA to deliver safe, clean, reliable, and equitable transit across the region.”